


And Goro Makes Nine

by cleptafeli



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/F, Gen, M/M, goro akechi disease i have it, goro akechi forced into friendly situations unwillingly, goro akechi happiness simulator, more characters as they come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:35:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26871490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cleptafeli/pseuds/cleptafeli
Summary: Akechi Goro has a plan that he will stick to by any means necessary. Stops along the way are just obstacles, and can be overcome.(Glimpses into Goro hanging with the Phantom Thieves. Takes place in Persona 5 Royal.)
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Akechi Goro & Takamaki Ann, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist, future akeshu
Kudos: 46





	And Goro Makes Nine

Goro isn’t sure what to make of the message he receives that morning. He’s been awake since three, too overcome with satisfaction and nerves from how well his plan is progressing. His phone buzzes off the edge of the coffee table around 8:30. 

> **(Unknown Number)** : akechi-san? ^^ this is takamaki.  (≧◡≦)

His first instinct is to delete the message. His second instinct is to tell her where to shove that stupid little face she tacked on at the end, and then block the number. Goro does neither, but sips his fourth cup of coffee.

> **Akechi** : Hello, Takamaki-san. May I ask how you got this number? 
> 
> **Blonde One (girl)** : i nabbed it from akira www sorry! i was wondering...would you be willing to meet up and talk? i feel weird not knowing you well, if we’re going to be friends now.

He wonders, briefly, if Kurusu has a death wish. It’s not the first time the thought has struck him, but previously he’d thought it only while the bespectacled boy was smiling blearily right in his face. What’s the play here, he wonders. Is Kurusu actively trying to piss him off now? Sending his underlings to cause mischief and search Goro out? Whatever, he thinks, taking far too big a sip of coffee and burning his tongue. Whatever, he can play games, too.

> **Akechi** : That would be fine. Should I expect the brigade along with you? ^^
> 
> **Blonde One (girl)** : oh no! it's just me. i didn’t even tell the others, i’d rather have some one on one time with you. it would be nice if we could be friends.  ( ´ ▽ ` )

Takamaki is hardly a challenge. Out of all the misfits in that group, Goro thinks she might be the easiest to manipulate, bar the young hacker. She seemed...Terribly mundane. He knows all about the trouble she’s seen at that school, and he thinks he just might be able to play this to his advantage.

> **Akechi** : Okay. Did you have some place in mind…?
> 
> **Blonde One (girl)** : there’s a cafe in shibuya i was dying to try. would that be alright?

Smart of her to pick somewhere so public, although she probably doesn’t know it. Not as if he’d  _ do _ anything to disrupt his plans, although...Picking off the Phantom Thieves one at a time is tempting. He’s sure Kurusu is well aware of the girl’s plans, so the whole idea is moot.

> **Akechi** : I will be in that area for personal shopping this evening, so that’s fine. 
> 
> **Blonde One (girl)** : yay!! thanks so much, akechi-san. i’ll let you know when i get close later. 
> 
> **Akechi** : I look forward to our meeting. ^^

  
  


He has nothing to do in Shibuya. Goro’s air of forced politeness has gotten him far, but it places him personally in...Less than ideal situations, more often than not. He’s been avoiding shop attendees and people who might recognize him left and right; nobody has really stopped to pay him any attention, though, even with the crowds roaming the streets. Goro even went so far as to eat before leaving, so he could order something small and appear more nonchalant in front of Takamaki. 

> **Blonde One (girl)** : hey!! i just made it, are you done with your shopping?
> 
> **Akechi** : I am. Now, where is it you would like to meet?

It ends up being a modern little shop, up a flight of stairs and hidden behind some pop-up boutique. The decor is silver and cream, sleek but inviting, and Goro is almost angered by it. It looks like a place he would’ve picked himself. Not at all the hip aesthetic he was sure he had the blonde girl pegged for.

She greets him, standing from a cozy-looking sofa by a window. For the most part, the store is empty; he doesn’t have to shuffle his few miscellaneous bags around to avoid hitting people the way he had outside. The things he’d bought were meaningless, of course, and the bags were only meant to keep up appearances. 

“Akechi-san!” Takamaki’s smile is disgustingly kind. Goro’s glad for his boundless self control; she shouldn’t be happy to see him, even if she can’t know that yet. Such trust is disgusting, and she should be wary of a man who only days before announced that he was blackmailing her.

“Hello, Takamaki-san. Was I keeping you long?” He carefully settles his goods to the side of the couch, under the table and away from getting trampled. Takamaki wavers. 

“No, not at all. Sorry, I totally forgot to mention it was this close to the station. You would’ve liked a heads up, right?” He would have. Nothing about his persona should let her  _ know _ that, but knowing she was here before him bothers him.

“Not to worry. I’m sorry to have made you wait, regardless.” She waves him off with such little care, as if she has all the time in the world. They, of course, both know that isn’t true. Goro sits nonetheless. She takes her seat once again, crossing and recrossing her ankles. He makes a big show of taking out his phone to mute notifications, as if anyone would be reaching out to him mid evening like this. Takamaki watches him with thinly veiled amusement. It’s bothersome.

“So, Takamaki-san...I gathered there was something specific you wanted to meet for?” She does have the good grace to look abashed. 

“I...Well, I should start by saying Akira didn’t want me to bother you. He said you were probably too busy with work to grab coffee with me, but I’m glad you proved him wrong.” Ha. Fuck you, Kurusu. “We don’t know each other very well. I guess...I’d just feel better about trusting you if we could talk like this,” she gestures at the broad space between them, “one on one. Sorry if asking you made you nervous or anything, that was really  _ not _ my intention.”

Goro observes her while she speaks. Takamaki has no visible tells of lying, and the reasoning is innocent enough. She just...Genuinely seems like she wants to know him better. The beast that rests in his stomach rages against such a small, normal request. He’ll find out why she really asked him out here.

A barista calls out an order for Takamaki, and she’s quick to go fetch her food. To his surprise, she comes back with two drinks, one hot and the other iced.

“I thought it’d be fun to order for you. If you don’t like it, it’s no problem, so don’t worry! Just thought I’d see if I could get it right.” She winks and laughs, holding out a pale boba tea. Goro doesn’t want to take it. He doesn’t want to play this juvenile game, and he wants to go home. 

He smiles and accepts the drink. It’s jasmine and honey and just as sweet as he would’ve ordered it. How  _ could _ she.

“You made an excellent guess, Takamaki-san.” His praise makes her light up like a star. His stomach aches.

“I’m glad you like it!” The blonde girl sips her own latte, looking for all the world perfectly satisfied now that he hasn’t shut her down. She settles the cup on its little saucer and sighs. “This place is nice. I’ve been wanting to try it for a while, but...It’s not really up anyone’s alley. After you came clean with us, it really struck me that it suits you.” Her smile dims to such a tiny, secretive grin, and he wants to leave her here in her smug glory. “It’s calm and quiet, like a good place to think? Maybe it’s silly.” His lack of response must embarrass her. Goro sips his tea.

“You think highly of me.” He purposely phrases it as an admonishment, aiming for humility and not the warning he means it as. 

“Not really.” Takamaki reclines. “I knew this place was kind of hidden, so I figured it wouldn’t be busy. I mostly thought you could use some place to think at.” He’s tired of her being right. She glances furtively toward the bar, but the barista manning the register has already disappeared into the little kitchen area. They’re much more alone than Goro had expected. “You said you want to catch the person behind the mental shutdowns. I think that makes you a good person. Fucked up how you chose to go about it, but…” Takamaki shrugs. “Work with what you got, I guess.”

He doesn’t expect her to be so honest. He definitely hadn’t expected her to be crude about it. It hits Goro, a little suddenly, that he may have misread the girl sharing the cushy sofa with him. The cup in his hand feels light, and when he goes to take another drink and play off the awful pressure in his chest, the straw meets with air. Takamaki watches him, face neutral.

“You brought me here just to buy me a drink.” The blonde laughs, delighted but not meanly. She nods, pigtails bouncing.

“I asked you to meet me because I thought you would like it. Sorry, sorry.” Goro despises her. “I can’t stay long, I told Ryuji I would at least  _ try _ and help him study.” She stands, then. He stays seated, terrified by the ordeal of being fucking  _ percieved _ . “Thanks again for meeting me, Akechi-san. Have a good evening.” Takamaki doesn’t even look back.

Goro’s trip home doesn’t even register. It’s late by normal standards when he reaches for his phone.

> **Akechi** : I prefer matcha with boba.
> 
> **Takamaki** : i’ll keep that in mind for next time!! ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡


End file.
